Court Rules

Court-wide rules

Applies court-wide

These 99 rules apply across Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Broward County. Where this judge's own standing orders above address the same topic, the judge's requirement controls.

Filing Requirements

All 31
  • Applies to
    Motion
    Must include
    case number

    Motions must state the facts with specificity, list all of the defendant's cases, the charges for each case, and the legal reason for custody; boilerplate motions are not allowed.

  • Applies to
    Motion
    Must include
    case number

    A separate motion must be filed for each individual case number, including the new law charge and VOP case numbers.

  • Applies to
    Motion
    Must include
    certificate of conference

    Counsel must certify a good-faith attempt to resolve the issue with opposing counsel; if contact was unsuccessful, counsel must certify at least three contact attempts plus a follow-up email.

Communication

All 13
  • Contact
    Phone to chambers

    Counsel must contact the Division Judge's judicial assistant to be placed on an in-custody docket and must provide a working phone number and email address.

  • Contact
    Phone to chambers

    When setting a hearing, counsel must give the Division Judge's judicial assistant a good-faith estimate of the anticipated hearing length.

  • Contact
    Email to chambers

    Out-of-jurisdiction bond and change-of-plea matters are heard by Judge Andrew Siegel and must be set through Sabrina Albert at Salbert@17th.flcourts.org.

E-Filing

All 11
  • Applies to
    Motion

    A copy of the motion must be e-filed with the Clerk's office.

  • Applies to
    Notice of change of plea

    The notice of change of plea must be e-filed with the Clerk's office.

  • Applies to
    Motion

    For motions seeking to exceed page limits, proposed orders may be uploaded to CMS, the motion must be uploaded as a supporting document, and no hearing is required.

Formatting

All 9
  • Margins
    top 1 in, bottom 1 in, left 1 in, right 1 in

    All motions and responses must be double-spaced with at least one-inch margins and a font size of at least 12 points.

  • Format
    PDF

    PDF submissions containing more than one item must be bookmarked.

  • Uploaded orders must not duplicate header and footer content because CMS inserts that content automatically.

About Judge George Odom Jr.

Judge George Odom Jr. serves on the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, which handles circuit and county court matters in Broward County.

Practitioners will find the judge's published procedures in the document titled 'division-fj'.

Common questions about Judge George Odom Jr.'s rules

Are courtesy copies required for Judge George Odom Jr.?

Courtesy-copy rule applies for motions. Details: 1 copy, delivery upon filing, by email. A courtesy copy of every filed motion must be emailed to the judicial assistant, or a hard copy may be delivered to the fourth-floor reception area.

View ruleSource: page 2, section PROCEDURE C: HEARING PROCEDURE

What formatting rules apply to filings before Judge George Odom Jr.?

Judge George Odom Jr.'s formatting rule includes file format docx. Proposed orders submitted to chambers must be in Word document format.

View ruleSource: page 4, section PROCEDURE E: SUBMISSION OF ORDERS

What must be included with hearing request email filings before Judge George Odom Jr.?

The rule requires case number. Each hearing request must be a new email that includes the court case number, the defendant's full name, the title of the motion or request, and the requested amount of hearing time.

View ruleSource: page 2, section PROCEDURE C: HEARING PROCEDURE

What must be included with notice of hearing filings before Judge George Odom Jr.?

The rule identifies required filing content or certificates. A notice of hearing for a CMS self-scheduled hearing must certify that the party consulted with all relevant parties before scheduling and noticing the hearing.

View ruleSource: page 2, section PROCEDURE C: HEARING PROCEDURE

How may parties contact Judge George Odom Jr.'s chambers?

The rule addresses email communications with Judge George Odom Jr.'s chambers. Special set hearings of 30 minutes or longer must be coordinated with the judicial assistant.

View ruleSource: page 2, section PROCEDURE C: HEARING PROCEDURE

How do I request an adjournment or extension before Judge George Odom Jr.?

Advance notice is not fully stated in the structured details. Written continuance requests must be submitted to the Clerk, with a copy including a proposed order in Word format provided to the court by Tuesday 4:59 PM before the scheduled calendar call.

View ruleSource: page 4, section PROCEDURE E: SUBMISSION OF ORDERS

Is electronic filing required before Judge George Odom Jr.?

Electronic filing is unavailable for the covered filings. Unrepresented parties who do not provide an email address must submit their requests or proposed orders directly to chambers in person.

View ruleSource: page 4, section PROCEDURE E: SUBMISSION OF ORDERS

When is a filing treated as filed before Judge George Odom Jr.?

The rule addresses filing timing, filing status, or cure windows. Case law and written responses the parties plan to rely on at a scheduled hearing must be filed or provided to the court at least two business days before the hearing.

View ruleSource: page 2, section PROCEDURE C: HEARING PROCEDURE

What rule applies to serving all parties before Judge George Odom Jr.?

The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: recipient: all parties. All motions must be filed and served on the appropriate parties pursuant to the applicable rules.

View ruleSource: page 2, section PROCEDURE C: HEARING PROCEDURE
Complete rules summary for Judge George Odom Jr.

Questions and correspondence to the court must be emailed to the judicial assistant with opposing counsel and the assigned assistant state attorney copied, and ex parte communication with court personnel is prohibited.

The Judicial Assistant may be reached at (954) 831-6574, and at least twenty-four business hours must be allowed for a response to email or phone requests.

All motions must be filed and served on the appropriate parties pursuant to the applicable rules.

Hearing requests are made by contacting chambers by phone or email to confirm approval, and motions coordinated with opposing counsel requiring five minutes or less may be self-scheduled by the moving party on CMS.

A courtesy copy of every filed motion must be emailed to the judicial assistant, or a hard copy may be delivered to the fourth-floor reception area.

Each hearing request must be a new email that includes the court case number, the defendant's full name, the title of the motion or request, and the requested amount of hearing time.

Case law and written responses the parties plan to rely on at a scheduled hearing must be filed or provided to the court at least two business days before the hearing.

The moving party must notify all relevant parties and also send an email copy to the court.

A written waiver complying with the rules must be filed with the clerk if an attorney waives a client's presence at a hearing.

If opposing counsel does not respond within two full business days to a good-faith attempt to coordinate a hearing, the party must notify the court, which may schedule a status conference and set a hearing date.

A notice of hearing for a CMS self-scheduled hearing must certify that the party consulted with all relevant parties before scheduling and noticing the hearing.

Parties must file a notice of cancellation if the matter is resolved before the properly noticed hearing date.

Special set hearings of 30 minutes or longer must be coordinated with the judicial assistant.

Attorneys may submit electronic agreed orders and electronic proposed orders through the CMS online system.

Proposed orders submitted to chambers must be in Word document format.

Written continuance requests must be submitted to the Clerk, with a copy including a proposed order in Word format provided to the court by Tuesday 4:59 PM before the scheduled calendar call.

Status hearing reschedules do not require a motion; an email to chambers requesting the reschedule with reasons is sufficient.

If a written continuance is granted the attorney must notify the parties; if denied, the parties must appear at the calendar call unless the court orders otherwise.

Proposed orders may be delivered to chambers in person or by email, and lawyers must copy all relevant parties when communicating with chambers.

Electronically signed orders are served by email on all relevant parties, and parties who have not received service confirmation within 48 hours should contact chambers.

Unrepresented parties who do not provide an email address must submit their requests or proposed orders directly to chambers in person.

A copy of every filed motion must be emailed to the judicial assistant at DIVFJ@17TH.FLCOURTS.ORG, copying all parties on correspondence to the court.

Emailed requests must include the title of the motion, the case number and defendant's name, and the amount of hearing time requested; case law copies may be emailed or hand-delivered to the reception desk on floor 4880.

Emergencies may not be raised by simply emailing the court; the procedures in Administrative Order 2018-112-Gen (Amendment 2) for Criminal Division Emergency Matters must be followed.

A speedy trial waiver must be made on the record with the defendant present, or in writing signed by the defendant under sworn affidavit and notarized, then filed with the Broward County Clerk of Courts.

Pro se litigants with email access are encouraged to file an email designation form with the Clerk so the court can send orders by email instead of U.S. mail.

Any filing containing AI-generated content must disclose the AI use on the face of the document and include a certification of personal review and verification of accuracy, and failure to do so is grounds for sanctions.

Courtesy copies of orders may be hand-delivered or submitted electronically, and hand delivery requires a confirmation email stating what was delivered, to whom, and when.

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